


Still a Long Way

by loveandwar007



Category: Monster High
Genre: Drama, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-16 10:50:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1344721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loveandwar007/pseuds/loveandwar007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"It's complicated" is taken to a whole new level when Frankie and Jackson are confronted by a group of normies who despise the idea of their relationship, during a potentially scarring evening that will either bring them closer together or tear them apart for good.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Still a Long Way

Frankie Stein couldn’t believe her luck. The evening was almost over and not once had there been any trouble with Holt Hyde, Jackson Jekyll, or the animosity that tended to arise between them. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle a little complication, dating a guy with split personality due to a Victorian-era science experiment gone wrong was nothing _but_ complicated. So complicated that for awhile she had split the scene, removed herself from the situation before she made things even harder while trying to sort out her own stance on the matter. After quite some time, Frankie realized that these feelings for the quiet mad science student and the electrifyingly hot DJ weren’t going away. They were still there, like a candle burning gently in the back of her heart. So when Jackson and Holt had asked her to split a night on the town with them alone, it was as if someone had poured gasoline on that candle spreading the flames to the very tips of her stitched green limbs, making her warm all over. It had been awhile since they’d gone on a date, and it didn’t take long for Frankie to realize how much she’d missed it.

As the nightclub got further and further away from view, Frankie was in such bliss that she hardly even noticed that the absence of pulsing techno music had caused the loud and rather abrasive Holt to transform back into his dominant persona Jackson. “I didn’t do anything stupid, did I?” he asked, rubbing his temples as the dizzying aftermath of the conversion took effect briefly.

“Nope, you were great,” Frankie smiled, then let out a chuckle. “Although I think you're going to put the main DJ there out of a job pretty soon. The place was dead until Holt took over. I mean, you know, low energy dead, not like ‘dead’ dead, I mean half the monsters in there _were_ actually dead--” She sucked in her lower lip to stop herself. Why was she blabbering like this? Did being with him on a date really make her that nervous?

“Wow…” Jackson’s blue eyes opened wide behind his glasses as he reached out an arm to stop her from walking so he could get a good look at her. “Did you change? You look incredible.”

“Oh yeah!” Frankie twirled around to give Jackson the full view. She’d started out the evening in a simple little frock and combed her hair down straight and silky when Jackson treated her to a nice dinner earlier that night. Once Holt took her into the nightclub, she had sprung for a silver and black halter and skirt that appeared considerably less modest, tying her hair up into a high spiky ponytail. If she was going to go out with two different personalities, then she needed to look the part for each one. “Thanks. Clawdeen’s been helping me shop for our...dates.”

“I love it,” Jackson said as they reached his car in the parking lot. Holding the passenger door open, he gestured for her to slide in first. “C’mon, your dad’ll kill me if I keep you out much later.”

“Aw, do we have to go back so soon?” Frankie asked, gazing at him with a giant grin plastered on her face. “It’s only ten o’clock. I only got one hour with you tonight and over three hours with Holt.” She batted her mascara-coated lashes the same way she’d seen Draculaura do to Clawd. “It's only fair. Please Jackson?”

“Well...okay, what did you have in mind?” Jackson gave in, slamming the car door shut again.

“There’s a nice little park over there, why don’t we take a walk?” Frankie suggested, pointing to a darker stretch of grass and trees a little ways away, a cement path laid out perfectly for two people to stroll along. She noticed Jackson looking slightly wary and she nudged him playfully. “What, afraid of the dark?”

“No,” Jackson replied, his voice trailing off as he continued to stare in the park’s direction. What Frankie didn’t seem to realize was that this particular park rested on the edge of the monster side of Salem, the farther side being what monsters called “normie territory.” It wasn’t that he was scared, he just hadn’t visited this side of town in a very long time. But in seeing Frankie looking so eager for a change of pace, he gave in and took hold of her hand, minding the stitching along her wrist. “Okay, let’s go.”

The park was silent and still aside from the breeze rustling the autumn leaves. It was perfect for Jackson, no loud music to whisk him away suddenly, plus Frankie was able to enjoy the peaceful night with him. She loved going to a party or one of Holt’s club gigs with lots of people, but sometimes she enjoyed the quietness of being alone, or even being alone with someone else. There didn’t need to be any conversation passing between them, and barely any did as they made their way deeper into the park. She was with Jackson and right now that was all she wanted.

“Hey Frankie,” Jackson broke the stillness, looking up at the streetlights that lined the path as they moved closer towards the human side of Salem. “Can I tell you a secret?”

“Of course you can,” Frankie said softly, noting his serious tone. “Anything.”

“Really?” Jackson asked. “Even the fact that I think about you a lot? When I’m not buried in Mad Science homework that is, and when Holt hasn’t taken over my body, but I’m pretty sure he’s thinking about you too and--”

“Jackson slow down, you sound like me,” Frankie giggled, her steps slowed to a halt as she turned him around so they were facing each other directly underneath one of the lights. She stood just a couple inches shorter than him in her wedged heels, her eyes and her lips almost perfectly aligned with his. The setup couldn’t have been better. “You think about me?” Frankie’s heart might not have been beating, but it was warming her chest like a space heater as her electrical current hummed in her ears.

“It’s what keeps me going,” Jackson went on. “I mean, in trying to improve living with Holt. I’m not just doing it for me, although it has been helping me too, but I’m also doing it because…”

“Yeah?” Frankie breathed expectantly, suddenly finding herself a step or two closer to him.

“‘Cause I want you in my life,” the words tumbled from Jackson’s mouth before he could stop them. “You’re so important to me, Frankie. And I care about you.” He exhaled slowly, having said his piece that he’d been rehearsing in his mind for the better part of that day. And to his immense relief, Frankie didn’t run in the other direction like he’d half expected. In fact, her face broke into the widest smile he had ever seen on her.

“I think about you, too,” Frankie said happily, sliding her arms around his waist as Jackson welcomed her lovingly into his embrace, her cheek resting against his shoulder. “I mean aside from school, homework, Fearleading, going shopping with the ghouls and spending time with my parents. But honestly, not a day goes by that I don’t wonder how you and Holt are doing. I...I never stopped caring about you, Jackson. And I think our time apart’s only made it stronger.”

“I think so, too.” Jackson had barely closed his eyes contentedly when they flew open once more at the sound of leaves crunching under shoes approaching.

“Well look at this,” came a sneering male voice, and Frankie and Jackson jumped apart. Three normie guys had come up to them from the other side of the path, where they had been hidden behind the trees. They didn’t look like thugs or gang members, dressed in average striped polos and jeans, seeming decent aside from their disgusted faces. But they didn’t look like they were up to any good either.

“‘Scuse me?” Jackson raised his eyebrows at them. These young men weren’t from New Salem High, they looked more around college age. At that realization, he kept his arms firm around Frankie’s torso and didn’t let go. He didn’t trust these guys any further than he could throw them.

“Had no clue they were lettin’ _your_ kind into this side of town.” The sandy-haired leader wasn’t looking at Jackson, but rather his stitched green-skinned date.

“What do you mean ‘my kind’?” Frankie asked, her eyes narrowed. She wasn’t a fool, she knew exactly what he meant, but she wanted to hear it straight from him herself.

“I mean seeing one of you monsters out of bounds,” the leader clarified, folding his arms across his chest.

“Out of bounds?” Frankie looked thoroughly appalled, breaking away from Jackson to confront them head on. “We have just as much right to walk here as anyone else!”

The goons snickered to each other for a minute before the dark-haired one to the leader’s right piped up. “Feisty chick. She yours?” he directed at Jackson.

“Yes,” Jackson replied through gritted teeth, not taking his eyes off of the bunch for a second.

“Heh, she’s kinda cute,” the dark-haired one chuckled, eyeing her up and down as he circled around Frankie to her right. “For a _freak_ ,” he hissed loudly in her ear.

“That’s close enough.” Jackson flung his arm between them and shoved the dark-haired one back forcefully while using his other arm to wrap Frankie against him protectively. “Don't you even _think_ about touching her.”

“Jackson, don’t…” Frankie whispered, her nails digging into his shoulder, urging him to not take this any farther as he breathed hard and lividly. She knew too many years of bullying had pushed him to learn to hold his own in a fight, but she didn’t want it to get to that point. They either needed to negotiate peacefully with these guys or get out of there before things escalated.

“Dude, you’re not the one we got the problem with!” the third one finally spoke, restraining the dark-haired one as he lunged back at Jackson. “It’s her! And the fact that you’re _with_ her.”

“What exactly do you expect to get out of a relationship with one of those things?” the sandy-haired leader continued calmly, as if amused by Jackson’s simmering wrath. “What’s next, are we gonna date farm animals? How about aliens?” Jackson paused with bated breath waiting for Frankie to say something, to put these guys in their place, to slam them down with a two-minute speech about tolerance and unity. But she didn’t do any of those things, and what she _did_ do shocked him. She simply lowered her head without a word, turning her face into Jackson’s shoulder, and now he was shaking with rage. Their remarks had cut her deeply, and he was not about to let them get away with it.

“Get out,” Jackson hissed, staring the leader down as if he could make fire shoot from his eyes. _Fire..._ That gave him an idea. “Leave us alone or I’ll make you regret it.”

“Oooooh,” the trio chorused before breaking into laughter. Meanwhile, Jackson’s hand had slowly traveled behind him to his back pocket, feeling for his headphones. If he unleashed Holt, there’s no way his violent-tempered alter ego would let these guys talk to Frankie like that and walk away unscathed. One more crack at her and it was over for these creeps…

“Listen kid, I didn’t wanna lump you in with her, but you’re givin’ me no choice here.” They were surrounded on all sides now, three against two as the leader leaned close into Jackson’s face. “Now...you got about thirty seconds to take your sick relationship out of here before I vomit, or I give your teenage mutant girlfriend here the treatment she deserves for wandering on _our_ side of the border.”

Jackson’s hand wrapped around band of the headphones, realizing he didn’t have much other choice. Frankie’s neck bolts began to glow in the dim light and he squeezed her arm as if to say _“Keep it together, I got this.”_ If Frankie accidentally, or even purposefully, shocked these guys with her voltage, they would fork her over to the normie authorities without question. Jackson honestly didn’t care what happened to him and Holt at this point, she was more important.

“Jackson,” Frankie whispered forcefully, looking behind him to see his hand slowly lifting the headphones from his pocket. She knew exactly what he was thinking about doing, and she knew it wasn’t going to solve this. It wouldn't magically stop these guys from hurling every form of mockery and scorn in her face like a painful slap. All it would do was make things worse. And although she was scared at the mere thought of what these guys would do to her, she was absolutely terrified at what they might do to Holt. “Let’s just go.”

“Fifteen seconds,” the leader counted down, him and his lackeys backing up just enough to let them run if they chose to, yet stayed close enough to act quickly if Jackson chose the latter option.

“I won’t let them treat you like this,” Jackson mouthed to her and Frankie’s eyes widened, shaking her head slightly.

“Ten...nine...eight…”

“Jackson, just take me home!” Frankie cried out, her hand seizing his still clasped around the headphones. A bright flash lit up the darkened path as a surge of electricity shot from her fingers and fried the headphones completely, causing Jackson to drop them as he gasped in pain. “ _Please_.”

Any and all anger flew from Jackson’s mind when he heard her pleading tone. She sounded like a lost little girl, her small voice trembling with fear, and at once he felt like the biggest idiot for even considering what he'd been about to do. He remembered his mom telling him about “picking your battles” when anger got the better of him, and now he knew what that meant. This wasn’t worth it, taking these guys on just wasn’t worth it, even if in his heart of hearts he believed defending Frankie was worth everything in the world.

“Come on,” he said at last, shooting the trio one last glare, amused by their stunned faces at Frankie’s electrical reaction. With his arm still wound around her, he felt her rest her head on his shoulder as he pulled her closer, walking her back down the path towards the parking lot.

_“Learn your place, freak!”_ came the echoing yell of one of the normies as Jackson and Frankie left the park behind them. _“He can't be that desperate, settling for something like you!"_

~

She felt like she was frozen, completely numb to any feeling whatsoever as they reached Jackson’s car. Dazedly, wondering what on earth had just happened, she found herself in the passenger seat and jolted back to reality when her date slammed the driver side door so hard the entire car shook. Turning the key in the ignition forcefully, Jackson sped out of the lot and into the night as Frankie slowly got her bearings. Her hands trembled where they rested in her lap and she was barely breathing, staring straight ahead out the front windshield but not really seeing anything they passed. Out the corner of her eye, she saw that Jackson was gripping the steering wheel so hard he could have torn it from the panel. Where he was usually mindful that he stayed within the speed limit, tonight none of that mattered to him in the slightest as he rushed her back to the monster community, his furious expression lit dimly by the passing streetlights in the darkness.

It seemed no matter how far away they got, the impact of what those normies had said hit closer than ever. This wasn’t this first time something like this had happened to her, been laughed at or jeered at for her abnormal mint green skin and jagged stitching around her limbs. But it was by far the first time she had ever endured any behavior that cruel, that _threatening_. Hands still shaking, Frankie reached up and bitterly tore out the ornate hair tie holding her ponytail in place, letting her long black and white strands tumble down her shoulders. She didn’t care if she looked pretty anymore. She had never felt less pretty in her entire unlife.

And it was when Jackson finally had to brake for a red light that it happened. Frankie felt a prickling in the corners of her eyes, a hot bubble rising in her throat that wouldn’t disappear no matter how hard she tried to swallow it down. She brushed her hair in front of her shoulder so the silky sheet hid her face from her driver, her vision starting to blur the view in front of her into hapless colored shapes. These were all the unmistakable signs that she was about to cry. But Frankie wasn’t going to cry, not in front of Jackson. She continued to swallow hard as a few tears escaped down her concealed face. Then again, if she had to let _any_ of her friends see her cry for whatever reason, Jackson would probably be at the top of the list.

“Are you okay?” Jackson asked just above a whisper, waiting for the light to turn green. Frankie opened her mouth to respond, and the bubble burst. Shoulders racking with sobs, she simply shook her head as Jackson drove on once the light changed. Keeping one hand on the wheel, he felt for her hand in the darkness and held on gently.

“It’s just not fair,” Frankie managed to say, her neck bolts sparking from her flowing tears falling into her lap. “I thought--I thought after last Halloween, things would be fine. That we’d shown the normies, the _world_ that monsters aren't out to get them. That we're more alike than we are different.”

“That wasn’t the world, Frankie,” Jackson said huskily. “That was an eighth of the population of Salem.” He honestly had no idea what to say to her, but he knew how she felt. His whole childhood he was mocked by younger monsters for being a normie prior to the knowledge that he had a monster alter ego. He had sixteen years under his belt of being treated like the minority he was in the monster world. But Frankie was only about two years old, and despite all she had learned and seen over the course of that time, she still didn’t truly know how awful the world could be. Especially how awful it could be to someone like her. Someone who despite being headstrong and confident in who she was, still had the fragility of a child and could break easily.

By the time Jackson pulled up in front of the Stein residence and parked in the driveway, Frankie was barely consolable, sobbing as if her stitched heart would unravel. Grabbing some tissues from the glove compartment, he handed them to her as his arm encircled her, holding her as close to him as he could. “I’m sorry,” he whispered as she soaked the shoulder of his T-shirt. “I’m sorry this happened. It shouldn’t have, not to you.” He bit the inside of his cheek angrily, “I should’ve given those guys what they deserved.”

“No,” Frankie said, gripping the front of his shirt. “Not after the close call Holt had with the authorities last year. Who knows what kind of charges you’d be facing right now if you had.”

“I don’t care Frankie, I really don’t.” Jackson cupped her head in his hand, pressing his lips to her forehead as if he could kiss her pain away. “They hurt you. They hurt you even worse than anything they could have done to us physically...and I let them get away with it.”

“It’s okay that you did,” Frankie pulled back to gaze at him with wet puffy eyes smudged with dark eyeliner. “Jackson, you didn’t need to fight them to prove anything to me. I felt protected with just you being there.” They sat quietly for another minute or two, until Frankie looked over Jackson’s shoulder at the front door of her house and sighed deeply.

“They need to know,” Jackson said in finality, following her gaze to the front door.

“They might never let me out with you again after all this,” Frankie said miserably, dabbing at her eyes with the tissues.

“Frankie, we can’t keep something like this from your parents,” Jackson retorted, and she considered this for a moment before nodding slightly. “C’mon, I’ll come in with you and we can tell them together.”

It was better than alone, Frankie knew that for sure. If she walked in by herself with her face washed in tears like this, her parents would no doubt draw the obvious conclusion that the date had gone horribly. It really hadn’t, until Frankie had stupidly decided to go in the park. As Jackson helped her out of the car and led her to the front door, she knew there was no skirting around details. They were either going to know the whole story or none of it. Clutching the door handle, she pushed it open slowly, Jackson following close behind her.

“Frankie, is that you?” called Viveka Stein, muting the television before getting up to greet her daughter. She appeared in the front hall wrapped in a white dressing gown, her long sheet of jet black hair divided down the middle with a white skunk stripe. Once she caught sight of Frankie and Jackson in the doorway, looking shaken and somber, her smile instantly vanished. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh Mom…” Frankie strode across the hall and threw herself into her mother’s waiting arms. Viveka glanced down at her sniffling daughter, then back up at Jackson who shook his head.

“It’s a long story,” he said as they walked back down the hall to the living room together. “We figured you needed to hear it from both of us.”

“Viktor’s down in the lab, I’ll call him up,” Viveka nodded, kissing the top of Frankie’s head before she broke away to descend to the basement. Frankie sat beside Jackson on the couch in front of the fireplace and he took her hand in both of his as they waited, silently assuring her that no matter what happened he was always here for her and he always would be.

Frankie’s father looked thoroughly irritated that he’d been called away from his work, but his demeanor changed completely when he saw his daughter had been crying. Finally with both parents present, Frankie and Jackson told them everything, down to the last horrible detail, every single offensive statement that had been hurled at Frankie and at the very idea of a monster and a normie dating. As they expected, her parents didn’t look entirely surprised, but the fact that this had happened to their still very young, very pure-hearted child rightfully repulsed them.

“My poor darling,” Viveka breathed, sounding close to tears herself as she leaned over to hold Frankie again. “They didn’t attack you at all, did they?”

“No, we got out of there before they could,” Frankie replied as she hugged her mother back tightly, comforted by her sweet scent.

“And you didn’t retaliate in any way?” Viktor asked gruffly, Jackson feeling that this question was aimed more at him than Frankie.

“I thought about it,” Jackson said truthfully. “I really wanted to, but I didn’t.”

“Good,” Viktor said curtly with a single nod. “It only would have made the situation worse for yourselves.”

“The two of you did the right thing,” Viveka agreed, stroking Frankie’s hair even after she pulled back. “Frankie, I’m sorry this had to happen to you tonight, but--”

“But we cannot promise it won’t happen again,” Viktor cut in, rising from his chair to pace the floor, towering over them at close to eight feet tall. “Your mother and I have faced nearly two hundred years of scorn from normies, decades of moving from country to country trying to find a safe place to settle down and have a family.” He knelt down in front of where Frankie sat on the couch, taking both of her hands in his. “I set out ages ago to create you, our daughter, and make you as perfectly as I could. So perfect that you would never endure the horrid ridicule we did, as dozens of monsters before you have. And what angers me more than anything tonight is that this proves I _still_ can’t protect you from that.”

In response to this heartfelt revelation, Frankie wrapped her arms around her father’s neck and held on tight, whispering _“I love you, Dad."_ Jackson squirmed uncomfortably on the couch for a bit, feeling like he was interrupting a private family moment, but one glance at Mrs. Stein's reassuring smile let him know he could stay.

“It still scares me,” Frankie said quietly after a few minutes.

“Sweetheart, I’d be surprised if you _weren’t_ scared,” Viveka said soothingly, but Frankie shook her head.

“Not ‘cause of those normies and what they said to me, but--” Her gaze traveled back over to Jackson, taking him completely aback. “For you.”

“Why me?” Jackson asked hushedly.

“Jackson, I’ve been going over and over this in my head since it happened,” Frankie began, breaking away from her father’s embrace to slide closer to her date on the couch. “Maybe the problem _is_ me.”

“Frankie, don’t you dare let what those...those _jerks_ said get to you.” He was afraid to use a word any stronger than that in front of her and her parents.

“Maybe it’s not a good idea for us to be together,” Frankie insisted. At that, Jackson grabbed hold of her hands and squeezed firmly.

“Frankie, I’m half monster!” he exclaimed. “There’s nothing wrong with that!”

“You’re also half normie!” Frankie shot back. “You can’t deny that any more than I can deny who I am!”

“What are you saying?!”

“I’m saying do you think you would’ve felt safer going out with Clair?!”

Out of all the responses Jackson was expecting, that one didn’t even make the list. It threw him off so badly he actually became a little lightheaded. How did Frankie even know about that?

“Cleo saw you two that night,” Frankie closed her eyes and looked away from him. “She figured I had a right to know about it.”

“Viktor, come help me in the kitchen,” Viveka said quickly, getting up from the couch.

“It’s almost midnight, what could you possibly need help with--?”

“Viktor, _now_ ,” Viveka emphasized through gritted teeth, pulling her stately husband up by the arm to leave the two teens alone in the living room.

“No wait, I want you to hear this too,” Jackson held up his hand urging them to stay, and they stopped in their tracks. He stood up from the couch as well, pulling Frankie up gently so she was facing him, looking straight into her wide blue and green eyes.

“Clair is a really nice girl,” Jackson said simply. “We went out once after that night, and yes, I had fun. I called her the next day and told her I couldn’t see her anymore.” Frankie shook her head, completely lost, and Jackson brought his hand up to her chin. “Because the entire night, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Clair is great, and I felt great when I was with her, but you...you do something to me I can’t even describe. I can’t tell if it makes me happy or sad or confused or annoyed or proud, maybe it's all of the above. But all I know is that I never want to lose that.”

“Jackson, I shocked you tonight,” Frankie went on, as if coming up with each and every one of these excuses would push him away from her. She could still feel his fingertips shaking slightly against her cheek and it filled her with shame.

“It was an accident,” Jackson said, standing his ground. “I know you’d never hurt me intentionally the same way I’d never hurt you. And I’m _not_ going to fall in love with a normie girl just because that’s what they say I’m _supposed_ to do! Why would I do that, even if she was flawless, when I have the perfect ghoul right here?!” He turned to look at the Steins now, keeping his hold on Frankie’s hands.

“I’ve been around monsters all my life,” he said to them. “So I don’t see a monster when I look at her. I see Frankie Stein. She’s beautiful and sweet and she makes me laugh, she makes me feel good every time she tells me how smart I am, she fascinates me when she points out the obvious solutions that escape our teenaged jaded visions.” He glanced back at Frankie, looking like she was about to cry again. “I don’t care what anyone says or thinks of us. Nothing is going to make me change my mind about her. You did what you set out to do, Dr. Stein. She _is_ perfect.”

Frankie felt the tears rolling down her cheeks once more, but this time it was for a completely different reason. “I guess it would be pretty awful of me if I didn’t take us off pause after you said something like that,” she sniffled.

“That’s up to you,” Jackson said softly. “You know my answer now.”

Letting out a tearful laugh, Frankie threw her arms around Jackson’s neck, burying her face in his shoulder as he held her close. “Okay,” she whispered into his ear.

“Jackson,” Viktor’s voice rumbled, and they broke apart to see Frankie’s parents holding each other’s hands, Viveka wiping tears from her face. “While I do give you my permission to continue seeing my daughter, I won’t have you escorting her to the normie side of Salem again after what happened tonight.”

“Right,” Jackson nodded. “And next time, I’ll have her home by curfew.”

“Please do.” Viktor raised his eyebrows, surveying Jackson for a moment before his face broke into what _might_ have been a smile. It looked more like a grimace, and Frankie stifled a giggle behind her hand. “Don’t think you’re off the hook, young lady. I don’t recall letting you out of the house in this...ensemble.” He gestured with his hand, indicating her nightclub outfit, “In fact, I’m sure I wouldn’t have.”

“Sorry,” Frankie said sheepishly, sparking a little at the bolts. “It was for Holt. I’ll just...um...change.”

“We’ll discuss _Holt_ later,” Viktor grumbled, his wife rolling her eyes as she nudged him hard in the ribs.

“Don’t stay up too much later, Frankie,” Viveka called over her shoulder as she and Viktor descended the basement stairs to their room.

“Some night, huh?” Frankie said once they were alone again, leading Jackson back into the front hall.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jackson asked once more, just to be certain. He didn’t want to leave her still mulling over the remarks those guys had made at her.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Frankie said, a trace of sadness still in her eyes. “It’s just gonna take a little while to pass I guess.”

“Let’s kinda keep this between us, okay?” Jackson leaned in closer to her face as if someone else in the house could be overhearing them. “Don’t tell anyone else about what happened tonight.”

“Not even the ghouls?”

“Well...okay, but not at school. Tell them someplace more private.”

“Deal,” Frankie nodded as they reached the front door. She was almost afraid to let him leave, he hadn’t left her side all night. Jackson really had been her rock throughout this ordeal, and now with the reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere, that she had gotten her parents’ blessing to basically be his girlfriend, she wanted him to stay.

Jackson must have sensed something in her grip on his hand because he gave her one last lingering hug before he headed out. “Call me if you want to talk about anything, okay?”

“Thanks,” Frankie said, smiling contentedly. “For everything. I really mean that.”

“Goodnight, Frankie.” Jackson gave her a soft kiss right on the stitched scar on her cheek. It was like a signal, a sign that he loved her for every one of her monstrous freaky flaws. He never looked past them, or liked her despite them, but embraced them as an ever present part of who she was. Just as Frankie had always loved both him and Holt and embraced them as one person when so many others didn’t. And with that in mind, Frankie never stopped smiling the rest of the night, even after he walked out the door and got in his car, speeding back down the road away from her house.

“Goodnight, Jackson.”

 

_The End_


End file.
